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Transportation

Our region is served by one of the most extensive transit systems in the world.

This network includes three commuter railroads, the New York City subway system, more than 1,700 miles of major roadways, commuter ferries, hundreds of bus routes, three major commercial airports and the largest seaport on the U.S. East Coast.

At RPA, we propose and advocate for new and innovative approaches to transportation aimed at improving the ability of residents and visitors to travel to and within the region. We analyze travel behavior, study new technologies and press for resources to upgrade our aging highways, bridges, airports, ports and mass-transit networks.

Over the years, RPA’s efforts have resulted in setting the location of the George Washington Bridge, the building of the Henry Hudson and Palisades parkways, the creation of NJ Transit and the Hudson-Bergen light rail, the oversight of the region’s three major airports under the Port Authority and the relocation of the region’s major port operations outside of Manhattan. RPA advocacy also drove the resumption of work on the Second Avenue subway, whose first leg opened at the start of 2017.

RPA’s work has included influential studies quantifying how improvements to commuter rail service lift home values near rail stations, analysis of urban mobility needs in the region’s core and the creation of the Transit Leadership Summit, an unprecedented forum for leaders of the world’s biggest transit agencies.

Most recently, RPA sounded the alarm about the crumbling Hudson River rail tunnels with our animated video Tunnel Trouble and our research and advocacy put pressure on political leaders to move the project forward. Recent RPA reports also sparked a broad-based civic effort to manage the pending shutdown of the L train between Brooklyn and Manhattan and to improve the subway line for future use.

RPA’s groundbreaking study, “Upgrading to World Class: The Future of the New York Region’s Airports,” examined the challenges facing our aviation system and proposed solutions to keep it competitive. To tackle the congestion that causes significant delays and limits the number of planes flying in and out of the region, RPA recommended the swift adoption of a "NextGen” digital air-traffic control system and also identified options for adding runways to JFK and Newark airports. Learn more